Leaving the Devil
by Skinny Bitch
Summary: The whole apartment had been torn apart in a complete mess, and a worst-case scenario popped into his head before he fully noticed the packing boxes littering the floor. Correcting some of season 7, the age of character denial.


Disclaimer: No no, I know what you're thinking. I don't own Smallville. Really.

Also, this was meant to be part of a multiple-chapter story...in fact, I already have a couple more chapters typed up. But it's been sitting so long that I have decided to publish this as a one-shot instead of giving you an incomplete story. So unless inspiration strikes me unexpectedly, that's how it will stay. Enjoy!

* * *

Chloe pushed the door open, stepping out of the cold night air into the warm and inviting atmosphere of the Talon. She quickly strode through the large group of customers and employees filling the room, noting the typical Friday night. Her frustration as she wove through oblivious people, some standing around the colorful pillars waiting for their orders, was doing nothing to abate her temper.

She hardly registered the revelry, and the sound of her clicking heels as she ascended the stairs was muffled by the busy coffee shop around her. She pounded up to the landing in front of her door, not restraining her anger as she shoved the key into the slot and turned, quickly pulling it out and closing the door with a satisfied snap to block out the noisy room below her.

Chloe turned, taking in the enormous job to be done in front of her as her cellphone vibrated. The headache she had been trying to avoid by turning it down had already come: a combination of her anger and a ceaseless number of phone-calls from her cousin. She considered not answering but put it to her ear anyway.

"Lois, I told you, I'm not waiting another minute. You know we've needed to do it for a while now." She paused as she listened, "No, really I'll be fine, stop worrying...No you can't talk me out of it, so stop trying. I have the whole weekend to work." She unbuttoned her coat, shrugging it off, and tossed it down with her purse. "Besides, you can help me when you get back...Yeah, I'll let you know how it's going. Okay, bye."

As Chloe set down her phone, she once again looked around the apartment and sighed, but then the image of his face flashed in her mind's eye and the surge of anger flared back up. She made a beeline for the closet and the enormous stack of cardboard boxes she had lying behind it's door.

* * *

As Clark walked out of the nearly-empty basement of the Planet, he pulled out his cell phone and pushed redial again. He was beginning to worry. He had just called Chloe who hadn't answered, then super-sped to Metropolis to look for her at work. He had thought that she'd had another late-night shift this week.

The phone went into voicemail again, so he jammed it into his jacket pocket in frustration, and a line began to crease his forehead. The last time Chloe had gone without answering her cell phone, she had been abducted...

He looked over his shoulder checking for any witnesses, and took off in the direction of the Talon.

* * *

Clark walked through the coffee shop, the noise octaves lower from earlier, and climbed the stairwell. It's steps creaked under his weight as he moved forward to open the door.

What he saw as he peered in left him staring for a moment before he could gather his senses.

The whole apartment had been torn apart in a complete mess, and a worst-case scenario popped into his head before he fully noticed the packing boxes littering the floor in every direction. He entered slowly, relief spreading through him as he spotted Chloe standing upon her tiptoes on a stool, reaching up into the cupboard. She was trying to take down a mug that was barely out of reach, managing to shift it around with her fingertips as she stretched forward as far as she could go. Clark took in his surroundings once again, "What's going on?"

Chloe jumped, falling backwards before she felt a rush of air and two large hands enveloping her waist. She stood up straight as she let out a breath, annoyed and relieved at the same time. Clark easily retrieved the mug, silently handing it to her.

"Thanks, Clark." she muttered, placing it with the others. She then moved to pop open the load of newly washed dishes, and after swatting at the steam, began to load them directly into boxes on the countertop beside her.

"Chloe, what is this?" He asked again. She stopped only to walk over and pick up some glasses on the island's tabletop so that she could load them in with the others. She didn't look up, "Doesn't it look like I'm moving?"

"Obviously. But why? What happened?"

"Lex Luthor happened, Clark."

His jaw clenched angrily, "He threw you out?"

"No," Chloe brushed back some hair sticking her forehead from the steam. "I'm moving Lois and I out of the Talon." She darted to the bowls.

Clark impatiently grabbed her by the shoulders. "Will you hold still for a minute?"

She stopped, staring up at him, an impatient look of her own upon her face. "Clark, I have to keep working. I think things will be smoother if I do this quickly."

"You can't spare a minute to explain why you're moving to your best friend?"

Her shoulders sagged, "Alright," causing him to release her arms.

"I had another run-in with Lex today, and he held my job over my head again. He hasn't needed to do it with Lois yet, but he might. This time though, it was nasty. I decided to move us as soon as possible so he couldn't use our apartment as well, because we know it's only a matter of time before that happens."

Clark took a deep breath, "Where will you go?" He didn't stop her this time as she continued to move about the kitchen.

"A few weeks ago I found a place on the outskirts of Smallville's neighborhood district, not in the farmlands, though not right in the town like this." Her voice reflected some disappointment.

"Where?"

"It's on Granview off of Waltonia." She said, referring to the road heading out toward Wichita, on the opposite end of town from Metropolis. "Of course that means it'll take even longer than usual to get to work..."

"Chloe."

"Clark, I don't have a choice."

He sighed quietly, picking up some mugs to help her. "Where's Lois?"

"She was sent on assignment for some fluff piece that Lex cooked up for her, after he banned her from the Swann case. I told her what I'm doing, and she'll be home tomorrow."

"He took her off the story?"

"Yeah, though I suppose it fits considering she thinks Lex is the one that killed Patricia."

Clark stopped in his tracks, "What?"

Chloe lowered her voice a little at his sharpness, sensitive about how much this woman's murder had affected Clark. "Well, that he _had_ her killed. Lois hasn't had time to explain how she came to that conclusion. She didn't actually tell Lex, but I wouldn't be surprised if she's right. It's not like I'd put it past him."

"I haven't been talking to Lionel, but do you think he'd know anything?"

"I can't be sure, Clark. I'll ask Lois more about it when I find my phone again."

"Where is it?" His concern from earlier was replaced with annoyance that he'd had to worry. "I called you at least five times and you didn't answer."

"I set it down somewhere in this mess...plus the ringer's off." She shrugged, then grabbed some newspaper and began wrapping another glass, setting it carefully among the others.

"How long have you been doing this?"

"Since I got home, so...a few hours."

"'Saying this was sudden might be an understatement."

"Yeah well, it's amazing what a shouting match inspires." She said, shutting the cupboard door harder than necessary. As she moved back toward him, he knew enough to stay out of her way, watching her walk over to the boxes again. She might be small, but she was also willful and determined.

"I just couldn't take it anymore. I can't live in an apartment owned by Lex Luthor," she explained bitterly as she made her way through the maze that was her apartment. "I wanted to leave when he threatened me over the Luthorcorp article, but needed the dust to settle. I realized doing that would be a sort of red flag. He'd just further notice the power he had over my life and make it as worse as possible."

She rooted through a drawer. "It was easier when Lana was with Lex, and I could suck it up and pay him because we were forced into a sort of truce. But ever since Lana left him, it's become a deal with the devil. He can easily take this place from us, so I'm just taking the initiative before he decides to resort to blackmail.

"I've already been through that with a Luthor before, and it wasn't easy sailing." She added as an afterthought, finding what she was looking for and continuing her work.

"Lex already has more control over my life than I can even handle...I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that he owns the Planet-" an unnecessarily loud ripping sound came from the role of tape she had in her hand, which she held up to the box to measure and cut.

Clark moved forward, laying his hands on her shoulders as she smoothed out the creases of the tape too quickly, causing wrinkles.

"Hey, it's okay." he said softly, turning her around to face him. "I understand. I just don't get why you didn't tell me so I could come over and help."

"Of course I thought of that. But Clark, Kara is finally back and you have a farm to run..."

"Well, the view from "Mount Olympus" isn't all it's cracked up to be, you know. I really think your issues are just as important as mine."

"Oh please," she scoffed, turning away as he let his arms drop. "like any of us have to deal with the kind of things that you do on a daily basis."

There was a pause as he looked at her.

"You do."

Chloe stopped, slowly turning back around to look up at Clark. She gave him an appreciative smile, "I guess sidekicks get to see Mount Olympus every once in a while don't we?"

Clark's smile was warm. "Of course. You get a backstage pass."

Chloe laughed, resisting from rolling her eyes, "I'm sorry that I had snapped at you about that Clark. I was stressed out about the new meteor freak status and..."

He cut her off. "Chloe it's okay. Now, can I help?"

"Clark, this is just something I have to do. It's helping me control my anger so I don't do something rash," she made a face, "that gets me fired."

"Well, now I'm here."

She shrugged once again and kept working stubbornly.

"Come on Chloe, it's not everyday that a girl has a super-powered alien at her beck and call."

Chloe stopped, laughing again.

"Oh, alright." she said, her voice exasperated. "I need to move the dishes next, and these blankets into that box over there..."

Her sentence was cut off abruptly when Clark transformed into a nearly invisible blur. She froze, standing completely still so that she wouldn't be in the way, her hair whipping around. It partly obscured her view as she watched the boxes in front of her load on their own accord and stack themselves. The clutter became organized and began to disappear as it was packed away. She lost her breath as she suddenly landed in a sitting position on the couch and the floor was cleared of the boxes, placed neatly over by the door.

Suddenly Clark was in front of her and she shook her head a little dazedly. "Here you are." He handed Chloe her missing cellphone.

"I thought I was getting used to that kind of thing. Now I'm not sure it's possible."

He gave an amused look at the expression on her face.

"Thanks, Clark."

"Don't thank me. You were the one that brought Kara back to us and saved my life."

Chloe smiled up at him, then looked around the apartment. The cupboard doors all hung open without anything inside, the bed was stripped, the drawers empty as well. "What am I going to tell Lois?"

"Come on, we'll talk about it at home."

"What?"

"Well you can't sleep here, all of your things are packed."

"I can sleep on this couch."

"Chloe," he said sternly, "you're coming to the farm."

She opened her mouth, ready to argue again.

"You better get the stuff that you want to wear tomorrow, and anything else you might need, like your laptop." he hinted, anticipating her words.

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine. Whatever you say, you big, _pushy_ alien." she muttered as she walked over to the nearest box of clothes.

Chloe had barely finished zipping up her overnight bag when she was once again whisked off her feet.


End file.
